Showing Your Age: Tips for Getting Loved Ones Through the Elderly Years

Aging, eh? It’s hardly the most fun or comfortable topic to discuss. But it’s something most of us will have to start thinking seriously about at some point. Many of us will have family members and other loved ones who are beginning to enter their later years. We don’t exactly want to bring up the subject because we don’t really like to entertain the idea that these people are growing old. The people in question might not want to talk about it for the precise same reason!

But it’s not a subject you should be hesitant to discuss. You should be encouraging older loved ones to discuss problems and concerns that they’re having. After all, talking about them is often the only ways these things are going to be resolved in any meaningful way.

We’re going to take a look at the major concerns for people who are aging. By taking a look at the concerns and what you can suggest to help, it can be much easier to have these kinds of conversations.

Health and fitness

Hey, who really wants to talk about the fact that their health is starting to fail? As you get older, your health and fitness will begin to enter a decline. But is there really nothing that can be done about it?

The fact is that exercise is not only possible in your elder years, but extremely helpful. It is, of course, unrealistic to expect them to start lifting massive weights and go for hour-long runs right away. But the body is stronger than you might think. There are a lot of exercises that are perfect for seniors, and if they stick with them they may be able to push themselves further later.

Independence and assistance

If there’s one thing most people fear when it comes to aging, it’s a loss of independence. People shouldn’t be so quick to assume that they’ll be losing independence to frightening degrees. And there are plenty of elderly people out there who remain completely independent well into their nineties! Still, even the strongest will need some occasional help.

This is one of the most uncomfortable subjects, but it’s best to simply ask them outright if they feel they might appreciate more help or company. Visiting them often and making sure they’re okay is a good idea. If they do require assistance, you could look into something like Multicultural Aged Care Services.

Fun and brainpower

Frequent visits can help keep up socialization. (Care services also help a lot with this!) This is vital when it comes to keeping the mind sharp, due to the boost in mood and thought processes. It should also be remembered that exercise helps greatly with mental health!

If you want to take a really different route to maintaining fun and brainpower, you could try suggesting video games. Yes, this may sound odd. But a healthy combination of books and video games have actually been proven to help strengthen brainpower in your later years. (As well as fight boredom to great degrees!) It’s certainly something that this 79-year-old “gaming grandma” can attest to!